


Wisdom In Conspiracy

by Khellamendra



Series: Welcome to the Appalachia [1]
Category: Fallout 76, Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Mothman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-22 22:29:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18536752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khellamendra/pseuds/Khellamendra
Summary: Reclamation Day was not what Keith had expected.Stepping out of the vault, he's greeted by a world covered in the stench of death. There was one saving grace and his name was Takashi Shirogane.  After finally admitting his feelings, Keith thought that had been that. In a war-torn world, they didn’t exactly have much in the way of luxury. Shiro has other plans.





	Wisdom In Conspiracy

**Author's Note:**

> This was a Writer's Guild challenge on the Voltron Amino. We had to write about a first date but put a unique spin on it.

Reclamation Day was not what Keith had expected.

Every day stuck in that Vault left him wondering what the outside would be like. There were a lot of stories and theories, everyone had opinions. Even all those orientations and classes had their own idea of what they should expect. As soon as the doors opened, that was when it would all begin. When the war finally ended and everything had settled, they were going to be the ones to reclaim the world. To change it.

It had felt unreasonably optimistic for his taste.

That was why they were here, locked away in this Vault. The inhabitants were the most skilled in their fields. Even more than that they were competitive. Exactly what a new world would need.

Keith had to admit that benefited the vault as a whole, at first. The engineers worked to create better and more efficient machines. The more science-oriented of the bunch aimed for the next big breakthrough. The military class discussing strategy and defense.

Of course the longer they were all locked away, the deeper the divide started to become. They were all the top of their respective fields but that didn’t mean all the fields saw each other as equals.

Keith couldn’t stand people that tried to put themselves above others. Being good at something was one thing but getting too full of yourself was another. So maybe he did start a fight here or there. Not just with James though that was his favorite target. Keith would never admit it but he liked James so he was not about to let him get too big of a head. That and the boy scout attitude could get old rather fast. There was one saving grace.

Takashi Shirogane had been the first person invited to be part of the Vault-Tec Program.

He had broken nearly every record available and saved Keith in more ways than one. Shiro was the raven-haired boy's motivation and his biggest fan. Always the first to correct people when they tried to talk about Keith. The first to remind him that he had earned his place here like everyone else.

When the message finally came, he found the vault empty. Keith ignored the pain in his chest, grabbing his Pip-Boy and the knife from his late father. Taking in a deep breath, he had stepped out into the world, alone.

The air had a slight tang to it that he couldn’t quite place. It settled a bit too thickly in his lungs and the natural light of the sun a touch too harsh. One thing he did know was that the new world had an unshakable stench of death.

It also didn’t take long to try and kill him.

Taking his first step, the sudden shot hit the ground where his foot had been. Muscles tense, he ducked behind the closest tree.

Purple eyes scanned the horizon, trying to get a lock on what was after him. Something skittered through the grass, shoot more lasers, hoping to flush him out. They sounded like they were everywhere, but each shot gave away their position.

Taking in a shaking breath, he unsheathed his blade and darted to the left. The blade connected with a metal exterior, causing sparks to erupt from his target. Keith was already moving onto the next one before the first fell.

Dodging another attack, he felt the heat of the laser and the smell of burning fabric clogged his nose. Slashing upward, another went down. Turning, the final robot jumped at him. Keith didn’t have much choice but to throw his hands up in a vain attempt to protect himself.

A loud crack echoed, bullet landing a solid hit. Metal collided heavily with stone. Tiny legs tried to right the machine but another bullet caught it right in a singular red eye. The light flickered and then went out.

Keith moved behind a crumbling wall, holding his knife up. A heart pounded with adrenaline, so loud in ears that he almost missed the sound of footsteps getting closer. There wasn’t anywhere for him to go.

He could try to get up the hill but it was steep and open. He would die before he even had a chance to see the rest of this place.

Tightening the grip on his knife, he forced himself to stay still, waiting as the footsteps got closer.

Pivoting around the corner, he lashed out. A strong hand grabbed his arm and squeezed forcing the knife to fall with a loud clatter. “Easy Keith. It’s me.”

Confused violet orbs looked at the face of the one person he had never expected to see.

“Shiro? H-how? I thought-?”

Letting go, Keith rubbed his wrist as Shiro slung the rifle over a should and picked up the knife. “I’m sorry. I know I should have waited but I wanted to see what we were dealing with. I had a feeling it would be bad but-”

Brows furrowed. “But what?”

“There’s a lot to talk about and to consider but for now we should get going. There’s a town not too far away. I didn’t want to go that far without you so I came back.”

“Alright. I trust you and I know you’ll tell me when you’re ready.”

Relief flooded Shiro’s face as he patted Keith on the shoulder. “Thanks and I’m sorry that I didn’t make it back before it was time for you to leave. I wanted to be waiting here when you came out.”

“It’s okay. You still showed up and even if you hadn’t, I would have come looking for you. No matter where you ended up.”

The smile he got this time was much softer, putting one onto his one face. Shiro offered him the knife. “Welcome to the Appalachia, Keith.”

The Appalachia, as he learned, was just as dangerous everywhere if not more so. Almost everything could in some way kill a person. He had no idea how they planned to reclaim a world that was so far gone.

Along the way, they found an engineer named Hunk with the ability to make anything taste amazing and less radiated. It was the food that brought them a short computer scientist. Pidge was looking for his family or rather her family as they eventually found out. The last member was a snarky flirt named Lance. He was hard to get along with but he was the best sniper Keith had ever seen. There was no one they wanted to watch their back more.

It had taken longer for Keith to finally admit how he felt about Shiro. The feelings had been stuck in his chest since before they ended up in the Vault. Hunk had been right, the world was too torn up for things like that to stay a secret. So while they had been raiding a power plant, Keith confessed. He might have done so in the middle of an intense fight but he blamed it on the adrenaline. It wasn’t the best timing but after finally having a moment to breathe, Shiro had told him they would talk about it.

They had talked for hours, sitting on a grassy hill just away from the group after getting patched up. Keith laid his head on Shiro’s shoulder, smiling as he felt an arm wrap around him. That had been that, or so he thought. In a war-torn world, they didn’t exactly have much in the way of luxury.

“Alright, so we’ll split up and meet back here in a few hours. Keith and I will head in Point Pleasant. There’s a river that’s supposed to run right through it. Might be a good place to set up a more permanent camp.” Shiro rubbed his chin, pouring over their map.

Lance stretched out in the grass. “Man, I would love to have a permanent camp.”

“What if it’s crawling with super mutants?” Hunk asked, fiddling with the pan.

Lance yawned. “Nah I scoped it out earlier. Nothing but the occasional wildlife.”

“Regardless we’ll need to check it out, just to be sure. If you run into any trouble, let us know. You up for it Keith?”

Standing up, Keith brushed himself off and shouldered the gun. “Ready whenever you are.” 

Violet eyes scanned the entrance to the town, gun at the ready. It was quiet, something that never ceased to make him nervous. He didn’t hear the buzzing of bloatflies or the grumblings of the dangers that could talk. The whole thing was peaceful and the further in they went the more obvious that was. “This is a little less dangerous than I was expecting.”

“I would hope so. Everyone made sure it was all clear before we came down here.” Shiro chuckled at the confused look. “Sorry to trick you like this. I just wanted to do something. Nice. A...date.”

“ _A date?_ ” Keith squeaked. 

“Yes, a date. We don’t have a lot of options out here but you still deserve a first date. There’s something that I know you’d get a kick out of. This town was kind of known for something. Something weird.” Gesturing for Keith to follow, they moved deeper into the city. Stepping into the square, he stopped in his tracks. Eyes wide, he took in the large statue before them.

“You can’t be serious? Is that a Mothman statue?”

Shiro laughed. “Yeah, it is. This place’s claim to fame was the Mothman. I know how obsessed you were with the stories, how much you wanted to believe. I didn't know the statue was still standing. Must be the power of the Mothman.” he teased.

“Laugh it up but with all we’ve seen, you can’t tell me that seeing the Mothman would be the weirdest thing.”

A hand slipped into his, squeezing it. “True. Come on, there’s a museum too.”

“No way!”

The excitement on Keith’s face was one that Shiro was almost positive he would never see again. After discovering the fallout from the war, he had been even surer. Yet here he was, letting Keith drag him as soon as the raven-haired man had caught sight of it. The building was missing a good part of one of the walls. A lot of it had was looted or perhaps destroyed, it was hard to tell.

Keith didn’t seem to have a problem with it, taking in everything he could get his hands on. “Shiro look!” Holding up the holotape, he stuck it in his Pip-Boy, cheesy music immediately starting to play.

_Narrator: Welcome back, dear listeners. It's time once again to put aside all that you think you know, all you believe to be true. Time to open your mind to the strange, bizarre, and sometimes terrifying world that exists in the shadows and fringes of our own where myth, legend, and rumor are made real. Yes, its time for more thrilling TALES FROM THE WEST VIRGINIA HILLS!_

_Not all creatures are of the land, some stalk the skies. One such bogeyman has been reported for generations by mystified West Virginians. Its name remains the same, but accounts and speculations about its nature very wildly. Some say man, others say beast, some say devil, others say angel._

_Tonight's tale, The Mothman Cometh, begins in Morgantown Municipal Hospital. We join young Mary Scarberry's bedside as she wakes looking a little worse for wear._

Enthralled, Keith listened to the entire thing. “Wait, that can’t be how it ends. There has to be more, what happens to the kids?” Looking around, Shiro cleared his throat and held up another holotape.

“I found it in one of the apartments. I didn’t want to give it to you without finding the first part but looks like you did that one your own.”

Taking the holotape, he paused before he could switch them out. Leaning up he pressed a quick kiss to a cheek, his own turning red. “Thanks,” he muttered. Turning away he sat down and put the new one in, letting the second half start before Shiro could say anything. Keith smiled as a warm body pressed against his and the two of them listened to the second recording.

Before they knew it, time caught up with them. “I think we’ve seen everything there is to see, for now at least,” Shiro said as Keith groaned.

“Are you sure?”

“Well, there’s a locked door but I couldn’t get into it. Maybe at some point, we’ll find it and then we can come back here. Especially if we decide to make our camp here…” he trailed off, grinning at Keith and offering his hand.

“This is pretty quiet. There is, in fact, a running river right there…” Keith continued, letting Shiro help him over the ruined wall. 

“Mmhmm but for now we should get back to the others and report our progress. It’ll take some time to get everything set up.”

Walking towards the entrance, he squeezed a hand before they had to part so they could grab their guns again. “Thanks, for doing this. I know you think it’s silly and don’t believe in that stuff. Even so, I really enjoyed it and it was sweet. So thank you.”

Fingers tilted a chin up as lips met his. Parting, Shiro pressed their foreheads together. “Any time Keith. I plan to find more opportunities like this.” Kissing a forehead this time he stepped back. “Come on, before they start to worry.”

Looking back towards the museum, a sudden movement caught his attention. Looking through the scope, his breath caught in his throat. There in the trees, he saw them, big bright red eyes staring at the both of them.

“Keith everything okay?” Startled, his attention fell back on Shiro. Quickly looking through the scope again, he moved it around but there was nothing there. It was gone.

“Yeah fine. Just thought I saw something but it was nothing. Lead the way.”

Shiro looked through his own scope but just as quickly lowered it. He gestured for Keith to follow before heading off down the road. The shorter man lingered behind before a small smile appeared.

“Knew it.”

**Author's Note:**

> The Mothman Cometh (the story on the holotape) belongs to Bethesda and actually is in the game. Pretty much everything mentioned is in the game actually. I considered having them end up doing the Mothman quest but decided to go with this instead.
> 
> Also, the Mothman statue and Museum are real and exist in the real Point Pleasant, WV. They even have a Mothman festival. Keith, I'm sure would love it.


End file.
